Wise About Texas

Wise About Texas


Latest Episodes

BONUS EPISODE: Hurricane Harvey
September 10, 2017

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, as a category 4 storm.  It was only the second Cat 4 to hit that area of Texas in recorded history.  The track of Hurricane Harvey also resulted in a rain event in the Houston area,

Ep 43: Asa Borger and his Boomtown
August 08, 2017

Asa Borger was a town builder with an eye for opportunity and a nose for the Texas oil fields. He came to the panhandle in 1926 and made millions establishing the boomtown of Borger. But the thousands of residents weren't all of the best sort.

EP 42: Beer, Heroes, and Life on the Bluff
July 10, 2017

The Mexican invasion of San Antonio gave rise to two expeditions against the Mexican army that had disastrous results. Nicholas Dawson led a group of men from La Grange to San Antonio into battle on Salado Creek only to be massacred when they tried to ...

Ep. 41: The Horse Marines
June 12, 2017

After the battle of San Jacinto, it wasn't certain just how victorious the Texians were.  Several Mexican generals commanded several thousand Mexican troops west of the battleground.  Santa Anna indeed ordered them to leave Texas but if they could get ...

EP. 40 Raising Galveston and Walling Off the Sea
May 22, 2017

One of the greatest example of resilience in Texas, indeed United States, history was the building of the Galveston seawall and the raising of the city.  After the Great Hurricane of 1900, the easiest thing to do would have been to abandon Galveston Is...

Ep. 39: Texas wins the American Revolution
May 01, 2017

In 1777 Bernardo de Galvez became governor of Louisiana.  As a Spaniard, he was cheering for a colonial victory in the revolution.  He made sure supplies made it up the Mississippi to George Washington's Continental Army.

Ep 38: The Spoils of San Jacinto
April 17, 2017

181 years ago this week, the Texian Army surprised the Mexican army and won the Battle of San Jacinto.  The battle lasted a mere 18 minutes, but its effects changed the world.  After the initial 18 minute rout,

Ep. 37: The Steamboat Yellowstone, Engine of Manifest Destiny
April 03, 2017

Built in 1831 for John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company, the steamboat Yellowstone was the first steamboat to travel past the Council Bluffs.  She reached parts of the upper Missouri River previously unreachable by other boats.

Ep. 36 More Forgotten Battles: San Patricio & Refugio
March 19, 2017

We all remember the Alamo, Goliad and San Jacinto but there were many more battles in the Texas revolution than are commonly discussed.  A big issue at the time of the Texas revolution was whether to attack Matamoros,

Ep 35 Remember Tampico! A forgotten battle of the Texas revolution
February 28, 2017

When discussing the Texas revolution, the battle of the Alamo, the Goliad massacre and the great victory at San Jacinto get most of the airtime.  But there were several other military events in the time period leading up to Texas independence.